A longing for the impossible

Hoarding can spark joy too, especially of the musical kind.

I don’t ‘Mary Kondo’ my house; that kind of ruthless organisation sparks no joy in me. I spring clean, expecting fortuitous discoveries behind every cobweb and beneath that fine layer of russet-coloured dust. This time too, I was not disappointed.

While clearing out my cassettes and CDs (yes, I still hoard them) cupboard, I came upon an old gem, a much-treasured CD that at one time in my life, I listened to, almost every other day. The album, simply titled ‘Bandish’, is a collaborative project by Ustad Fateh Ali Khan (of the Gwalior Gharana) and ‘The Orchestra of the Great Musicians of Lahore’ (how enchanting that sounds!).

The CD features nine tracks, each a journey by itself. Based on popular ragas, the compositions combine Fateh Ali Khan’s mastery of his art with clever, ‘modern’ orchestration that effortlessly reduce the heaviness of the classical (especially for the uninitiated) while retaining its purity.

A personal favourite is ‘Beqadaran’ in Bhoop Kalyan, that unmatched evening raga of melancholy and indefinable longing. In Fateh Ali Khan’s voice, it takes on a quality of deep yearning, the sort that doesn’t seek any quenching. It is enough, the song seems to say, sometimes just enough to yearn.

(The album, I discovered later, is available online.)

Rashmi Vasudeva

Play By Ear recommends a potential earworm for you, the discerning listener, who is on the hunt for some musical serendipity.